Storm downs trees

Damage centered mostly in Hillsboro

Part of a tree that came down during a storm early Tuesday evening damaged these two homes at 435 and 437 Hazel Street in Hillsboro.

As he surveyed the storm damage outside his Hillsboro home Wednesday morning, Jim Dandy Cumberland said he was thankful it was not worse.

A storm that rolled through the Hillsboro area around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday brought down trees and large limbs all over the city, including the remaining section of a huge tree behind a vacant home at 435 Hazel St., next door to Cumberland’s. The tree section fell on top of both houses, damaging them both.

“We were sitting in the house talking and all of a sudden we heard something – baloom,” Cumberland said. “I said, ‘Ought oh.’”

Cumberland said the tree did damage to a roof he put on his home about a year ago, tore down gutter and a side door overhang, and wiped out a propane grill.

The roof on the vacant home next door also showed significant damage. But Cumberland said it could have been a lot worse.

“It must have twisted just right and kind of fell mostly between the houses,” he said. “I’m just thankful to the Lord because we was blessed. We were lucky. It could have been a lot worse.”

Trees or large limbs also came down on West Walnut Street, South Elm Street and other places on Hazel Street, and there were reports of trees down in the Hillsboro Cemetery, the east side of the city, and other areas. Highland County Engineer Dean Otworth said there were reports of one tree inside a Hillsboro home.

The traffic lights in the center of Hillsboro went out and AEP said it had about 1,800 local customers without power shortly after the storm.

But it appeared that most of the rest of Highland County didn’t see much damage.

Greenfield Acting Police Chief Jeremiah Oyer said there was no significant damage he was aware of in the village.

Otworth said there were some limbs down throughout the county, but no major damage he knew of.

Otworth said he was without power at his home on Haggerty Road after the storm and that it was still out when he went to bed around 11 p.m., but it was on when he woke up.

“We were fortunate,” Otworth said. “These strong gusts of 60 to 65 mph winds, or whatever they were, and they might have been more, if the trees are weak, it’s going to find them.”

Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.

Part of a tree that came down during a storm early Tuesday evening damaged these two homes at 435 and 437 Hazel Street in Hillsboro.

http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2016/05/web1_Tree-damage-pic.jpgPart of a tree that came down during a storm early Tuesday evening damaged these two homes at 435 and 437 Hazel Street in Hillsboro.